Du Yan (978-March 17, 1057), whose courtesy name was Shichang. A native of Shanyin, Yuezhou (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). Famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty.
In the first year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1008), Du Yan ascended to the rank of Jinshi and supplemented Yangzhou's observation and promotion officials. He knew the army of Qian, Yang, Tianxiong, Yongxing, and Bing and other states, and was good at identifying prison news. . Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty specially called him to be the censor Zhongcheng, and also the judge of the official department, Liu Neiquan, and later he was changed to know the judge's court. In the second year of Baoyuan (1039), he regained knowledge of Yongxing Army.
In the third year of Qingli (1043), he was appointed as the privy envoy. In the fourth year of Qingli (1044), he worshiped Tongping Zhangshi and supported the "Qingli New Deal". He served as prime minister for a hundred days and left Yanzhou. In the seventh year of Qingli (1047), he became an official as the prince's young master, accumulated to the prince's grand master, was granted the title of Duke of Qi, and retired to the southern capital for ten years.
In the second year of Jia v (1057), Du Yan died at the age of eighty. He was given a posthumous title as Situ and Shizhong, with the posthumous title "Zhengxian".
Du Yan is good at poetry and calligraphy. He has regular, running and cursive scripts and is valued by the world. "Small Collection of Famous Sages of the Two Song Dynasties" contains a volume of "Manuscripts of Du Qigong", and "Complete Poems of the Song Dynasty" contains his poems. What are the anecdotes and allusions of Du Yan?
Du Yan was honest in government and never cultivated private property. After he became an official, he did not even have a few decent houses, so he had to live in Yingtianfu, Nanjing (today's Nanjing). The carriage house in Shangqiu City, Henan Province. In the Song Dynasty, carriage houses were built in various places. Some were used as temporary residences for officials waiting for their successors to arrive after leaving office, and some were used as inns, equivalent to guest houses for officials. Du Yan lived in Huicheyuan for ten years, with shabby food and accommodation, but he never complained. Du Yan was not good at wine, and even if he had a visitor, he would only taste "a bowl of millet and rice mixed with cakes and bait." (Zheng Jingwang of the Song Dynasty, "Mengzhai Bi Tan"), simple and without the charm of Jade Food and Shengge. Make a fuss. Du Yan has always been a low-key person. After his retirement, he became as simple as a field man. Some people advised him to wear layman clothes, but he said: "How can you consider yourself a scholar when you are old and retired?" He was either traveling, reading, or chanting Poetry, he also began to practice cursive writing, pursuing spiritual enrichment rather than material luxury, and lived a life of poverty and contentment. When he died, his son was buried with a pillow and a mat in his family in Xiaotang.
However, as a low-key man, two ironic things happened to him in his retirement days.
According to Zhu's "Pingzhou Ke Tan" in the Song Dynasty, a banquet was held in Henan Prefecture (now Luoyang City, Henan), and Du Yan was invited to attend. Before the banquet, Du Yan, wearing a house hat and dark casual clothes, sat in a corner without making any sound.
At that time, a "Yun Gou" from this road arrived. Everyone greeted him one after another. When the young man succeeded in playing Gou, he saw that there was only one old man who neither bowed nor bowed, but was fixed on the stool like a nail. He couldn't help but get angry and asked sternly: "What are you doing now?" Du Yan answered softly without raising his head. : "Tong Zhongshu's Ping Zhangshi (prime minister)." The young official suddenly blushed and was dumbfounded.
Another time, a new scholar was assigned by the court to serve as a deputy at the border. Passing by Yingtian Mansion, the prefect Wang Juzheng learned that he was extremely talented and had entered the imperial examination at a young age. All the weapons, treasures, bridles, and axes were arranged to clear the way for this upstart guard. The streets of Yingtian Mansion suddenly became lively, with colorful flags fluttering and drums beating. The scene was grand, which attracted the people to look sideways and guess which official from the imperial court was coming to inspect.
Just as Du Yan was returning from a trip, he encountered the upstart team in a narrow road. There was no way to avoid it, so Du Yan pulled down the brim of his hat, raised his collar, slowed down his horse, and stepped aside to give way. The two servants also grabbed the horse and stopped by the roadside. However, the upstart was very angry because Du Yan and his entourage did not dismount, and asked the attendants around him angrily, who is this? The entourage replied that this is the Prime Minister Du Taishi who has become an official.